Poster Session: Conserving and Restoring Critical Habitats

Atlantic Ghost Crabs, Ocypode quadrata, are environmental engineers that serve as bioindicators of human impact on coastal beach ecosystems. O. quadrata is a common and abundant species ranging from Rhode Island to Brazil that serves as a crucial prey item for coastal birds and mammals. This semi-terrestrial invertebrate excavates burrows as a means for shelter in sandy environments. Burrow construction is an energetically costly process that is affected by different environmental stressors such as predation, beach morphology, and human disturbance. To better understand how O. quadrata burrow architecture responds to increased coastal urbanization and tourism, we collected plaster casts of burrows from seven beaches across the Northern Gulf Coast region that differ in intensity of human impact. Sites selected ranged from secluded sites with limited access to heavily impacted sites in tourist heavy areas such as Destin, Fl. Casts were measured for volume, angle of inclination, complexity, and depth, which can be impacted by human disturbance. Overall, we found relationships between the collected ghost crab burrows' volume, number of openings, depth, and branching among sites in relation to level of human impact. Further, at three sites experiencing extreme levels of impact in coastal Mississippi, we struggled to find enough burrows in order to sample burrow architecture, thus highlighting the precarious position of this ecologically significant species in a rapidly urbanized landscape. By analyzing how the burrowing behavior of O. quadrata varies in relation to anthropogenic disturbance along the Gulf Coast we hope to determine a predictable response in conjunction with related studies to support the efficacy of this method in evaluating the role of human impact in disrupting these coastal habitats. This study highlights the critical role that O. quadrata serves in assessing the impact of anthropogenic disturbance can and will continue to have on coastal dune beach ecosystems.

Among the many ecosystem services saltmarshes can provide, nutrient removal is considered one of the most valuable. Black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus; hereafter Juncus) is the dominant saltmarsh plant of MS/AL, and these marshes have been shown to remove significant quantities of nitrogen. Gulf ribbed mussels (Geukensia granosissima) are commonly found attached to the stems of Juncus. The mussels are known to provide benefits to the marshes in terms of reducing erosion and enhanced nutrient removal in Spartina alterniflora marshes. However, their impacts on Juncus marshes, specifically the potential enhancement of nutrient removal capacity from coastal wetlands through a mutualistic relationship with Juncus, has not been studied. A controlled microcosm study will be conducted to determine if the presence of Gulf ribbed mussels enhances nutrient removal from restored marshes dominated by Juncus. Treatments with Juncus+mussels+sediment are expected to remove more nitrogen from each marsh microcosm than Juncus+sediment, mussels+sediment, and sediment only treatments. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from porewater samples will be used to measure the nitrogen removal. A better understanding of the relationship between the two marsh species and how the presence of Gulf ribbed mussels can bolster the ecosystem services of Juncus-dominated marshes would ultimately inform researchers and natural resource managers, as well as guide long-term monitoring, restoration, and conservation efforts of wetlands.

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are a well-known invasive species across the southern U.S. Their rapid reproduction and wide-ranging feeding habits lead to soil erosion, destruction of native vegetation and agricultural crops, and competition with indigenous wildlife for resources. Feral hogs are also vectors for the spread of invasive vegetation as their feeding habits (i.e., rooting) creates bare soil for establishment of other pervasive species like cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica). Managing feral hog populations is challenging due to their intelligence, adaptability, and elusive behavior. Effective control measures often require coordinated efforts among landowners, wildlife managers, and conservation organizations to mitigate their impact and restore ecological sustainability. Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve staff with coordination and support from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a feral hog trapping program in 2021 that has resulted in removal of 115 feral hogs. Two types of traps have been used during this time including more traditional steel corral traps with cellular activated gates and reenforced nylon net traps manufactured by Pig Brig™. Challenges associated with this effort have included technological deficiencies (e.g., data limitations with game cameras, etc.) and temporal variation in feral hog movements (e.g., decreases in hog sign and activity in all trapping areas). Future work will include the use of remote sensing (e.g., uncrewed aerial systems with a thermal sensor) to track feral hogs throughout the year to determine spatial distributions.

Anthropogenic threats such as overharvesting, habitat loss, and climate change have significantly impacted Gulf bony fish communities. To mitigate these effects, artificial reefs have been deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, providing new opportunities for spawning, foraging, and sheltering. As the need for innovative conservation strategies grows, understanding the relationship between artificial reef structures and fish community composition will become increasingly important. However, the turbid waters of the northern Gulf reduce the effectiveness of traditional visual survey methods, such as camera traps and diving surveys. To address this, we employed bioacoustics to analyze soundscape patterns and identify species associated with shallow, offshore reefs at the Cat Island Artificial Reef Complex, located 8 miles south of Gulfport, MS. This site features reefs with varying structural materials, reliefs, and cavity presence. Our acoustic surveys revealed consistent diel patterns and similar species presence across the different reef types. This may suggest that the addition of suitable habitats, in general, may lead to a stable equilibrium in the community of bony fishes. Moving forward, machine learning will be utilized to automate species identification, enhancing data processing efficiency. Our current machine-learning model utilizes cluster analysis and feature extraction to determine the most likely species from repositories of positively identified species. By integrating these advanced bioacoustic methods with machine learning, we aim to create a resource-efficient tool that will not only streamline monitoring efforts but also provide crucial insights for guiding marine habitat management, ultimately contributing to the conservation of a threatened Gulf ecosystem.

Climate change is significantly altering marine ecosystems and impacting marine life. Many estuarine species rely on seagrass beds and salt marsh edges as nursery habitats, as these habitats provide an abundance of food and a refuge from predation. Rising temperatures may make critical habitats thermally unsuitable, leading to shifts in habitat use that can have negative impacts on growth, reproduction, and survival. This project investigated thermal tolerance, preference, and thermal habitat quality in the juvenile blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, a species native to the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico that supports a valuable commercial fishery. The critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and maximum (CTmax) were measured by gradually increasing or decreasing water temperature until the appropriate endpoint was reached. The endpoint for CTmin was the loss of the righting response, while the endpoint for CTmax was the loss of motor control. Preferred body temperature of juvenile blue crabs was tested in a thermal gradient. Environmental temperatures were quantified by deploying temperature data loggers in marsh edge habitat for approximately four weeks. Observed water temperatures in juvenile blue crab habitat were substantially higher than juvenile preferred temperatures, and at times approached the critical thermal maximum. These data will provide a better understanding of the current thermal habitat quality of the marsh edge habitat, levels of thermal stress currently experienced by juvenile blue crabs, and the likelihood of exceeding thermal limits in these habitats in the coming decades.

The habitat restoration and management of coastal uplands is difficult due to the initial investment of resources, continued maintenance, specialized experience, equipment, and training required. Some common habitat management techniques include applications of prescribed fire, herbicide, mulching, and other mechanical treatments-each with varying levels of cost-effectiveness, intrusiveness, and strategy. Another practice that has been highly successful is conservation grazing. For example, pyric herbivory, the coupling of prescribed fire and accompanying grazing pressure, has been shown to create heterogeneity and diversity in vegetation communities and reduce occurrence of invasive species in grassland communities. While the potential benefits of incorporating livestock grazing into habitat management are evident, these practices require substantial knowledge of animal husbandry, ecological health, and logistical considerations. Grazing duration and intensity, livestock type, and timing of grazing activity during the year can drastically affect the success of a grazing strategy. Given the lack of research-based information in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), this study aims to determine the ideal frequency and duration of livestock grazing, needed to achieve management goals by measuring density and diversity of understory vegetation. It is expected that a low frequency and medium duration goat grazing event will provide the most habitat benefits and be a highly effective tool for managing coastal uplands. The rationale is that low frequency grazing allows for forage to recover between grazing events while medium duration grazing ensures over-grazing does not occur while allowing for woody underbrush to be cleared. The methods created in this study can be amended and implemented across the GoM to inform grazing plans and bridge the gap between conservation and management tools.

Some portions of Biloxi Bay, Mississippi are experiencing significant shoreline erosion, thought to be driven by a high amount of boat wakes in the nearby channel. To combat this, a large living shoreline will be constructed utilizing segmented breakwaters and marsh plants along the shorelines of Keesler Air Force Base, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Hiller Park. Bird monitoring will be conducted before and during the restoration process using game cameras placed along the shoreline. A critical component of this project is to understand how birds utilize various shoreline environments, such as natural marsh areas, riprap, and breakwaters. For this project, a total of 16 game cameras have been installed across various shoreline types throughout the central portion of Biloxi Bay. Cameras collect an image every 5 minutes while deployed and will be deployed in 2 week increments at least 6 times per year. Imagery will be analyzed for bird abundance and diversity along different shoreline types with the help of citizen scientists. Findings from this project will provide valuable insights into bird habitat usage and the effectiveness of living shorelines in restoring coastal habitats.

Restoration of coastal dunes relies on transplants of nursery stock into barren sand environments following tropical storms, however, long-term vegetation stability and biodiversity will be shaped by the ability of seeds to germinate and establish within coastal dunes. Globally, ~70% of sandy beaches around the world are experiencing erosion leaving natural sand substrate for restoration in short supply. As an alternative for dredging sand substrates from offshore, recycled glass sand (cullet) has been proposed as a potential source of restoration substrate, however, may lack the natural microbial communities that promote seed germination. To understand how glass sand substrate and native microbial communities impact seed germination within a variety of native Northern Gulf of Mexico dune taxa, we established a factorial seed germination experiment in which we germinated seeds from 13 species within recycled glass sand or sterile beach sand that either received inoculation with native soil microbes or was a non-inoculated control. Our goal was to: (1) test the efficacy of recycled glass sand as an in-situ restoration substrate in coastal dunes and (2) understand if glass sand efficacy could be improved by inoculating with native microbial amendments. Overall, we found minimal differences within germination patterns when comparing glass sand to natural beach sand substrates with or without native microbial treatments. However, we found strong germination differences across our species. Further study will need to be done on recycled glass sand (cullet) as a source of substrate used for dune restoration, but our results suggest that glass sand substrate provides a similar germination environment for native dune species.

The Mississippi Sound Estuary Program (MSEP), established in 2023, aims to foster collaborative conservation and restoration of the Mississippi Sound and its contributing watershed. One of MSEP's initial tasks is to create a project inventory of relevant research, restoration, conservation, management, education, and stewardship efforts in the MSEP study area. Currently housing over 200 projects, the project inventory is being utilized in the formation of our comprehensive conservation and management plan with goals of contiued use in gap analysis, informing decision making, and the creation of a searchable map and database. We are soliciting additional projects to be added to the inventory to better support the preservation, restoration, resilience, and stewardship of the waters that drain into the Mississippi Sound.

Ship Island is located 12 miles south of Gulfport, Mississippi, and is part of the Mississippi barrier island chain that forms the first line of defense for the Mississippi mainland coast against the wave energy of the Gulf of Mexico. These barrier islands reduce shoreline erosion, hurricane and tropical storm damage, and salt-water intrusion, as well as provide a highly productive nursery habitat for fish and wildlife species. The Mississippi barrier islands have experienced significant changes in both island geomorphology (land area and habitat) and physical processes (erosion and accretion) due to frequent intense storms, relative sea-level rise, and changes in sediment supply associated with inlet hydraulics, channel configuration, and shoal dynamics. Ship Island, in particular, experienced significant losses due to reduced sediment supply from the Gulfport Ship channel and frequent tropical activity, most notably, Hurricanes Camille (1969) and Katrina (2005). As a result, in 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in conjunction with other Federal and State agencies, developed the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) with the goal of restoring the Mississippi barrier islands. In December 2020, the USACE completed restoration of Ship Island by placing over 13 million cubic meters of sand, reconnecting Ship Island, increasing elevation, and replenishing the littoral zone sand supply. One key feature of MsCIP was the implementation of a Monitoring and Adaptive Management Program (MAMP) to evaluate the restoration effectiveness. The habitat composition and mapping performance measure is used to evaluate the desired outcomes of the MsCIP barrier island restoration and guide adaptive management application. The U.S. Geological Survey, in conjunction with the USACE, developed habitat maps of Ship Island for 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021, covering before, during, and after restoration. We will present maps and results comparing baseline and post-construction metrics at Ship Island, MS. 

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR) is an urban refuge in southeastern Louisiana that has been altered extensively by human impacts. As a result, the hydrology of the impounded (interior) marshes within the BSNWR has been disrupted due to obstructions such as spoil banks, levees, and water control structures that affect the gradient and fluctuation of water surface elevation (water level) impeding water exchange between open channels, lakes, and the adjacent marsh. The resulting changes in hydroperiod have led to marsh loss and damage, in turn altering flooding and salinity regimes. Marsh creation is a restoration technique designed to replace damaged marsh with newly created restored marsh and is a common wetland restoration technique in Louisiana that is frequently used in mitigation projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed a mitigation project within the Turtle Bayou area of the BSNWR with a target of creating 126 acres of intermediate marsh with an elevation of 0.15 meters (NAVD88). This mitigation has the potential to enhance the area by providing beneficial marsh habitat to the refuge, but monitoring is essential to evaluate success. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the USACE, began monitoring in February 2024 at four sites across a hydrological gradient within the mitigation area and at a preexisting real-time water level gage outside the mitigation area. Data sondes were deployed to collect continuous water level and salinity data, and real time network (RTN) elevation surveys were used to measure microtopography across the marsh platform. Supplementary vegetation observations were collected to further characterize sites. Water level data and elevation will be used to determine inundation effects across the marsh while salinity data may help to characterize hydrologic connectivity. This poster presentation will highlight preliminary water level, inundation, salinity, and vegetation results within the mitigation area.

Water quality affects coastal economies, recreational activities, and ecosystems. As of 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that 29% of monitored beaches issued advisory warnings or closures due to poor water quality. The most common way of testing water quality involves gathering water samples from the field and processing the samples in a laboratory. Processing water samples in a laboratory can take between 18-48 hours resulting in sparse water quality data. Due to these infrequencies in data collection, it has been shown that a single sample used to warn the public of water quality status only reports the correct water quality 30% of the time. Commercial sensing devices to investigate water quality and other environmental parameters are expensive and often lack real-time capabilities. Do-it-yourself (DIY) environmental sensing techniques are an alternative low-cost pathway for real-time data sensing. Still, previous applications have focused on the Things Network for data transmission which is limited in rural areas. In this research, an adaptable and low-cost platform to measure water quality parameters is being developed. This platform includes a user-friendly web application for easy data download and viewing and achieves real-time data transmission through the long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) protocol and the Helium network. Future work for this project includes validating sonde performance against a commercial water quality sonde in a lab setting, field testing to investigate potential sensor drift, developing how-to guides detailing the platform construction and development, and continuing the platform's development for other applications.

The Saint Stanislaus College (SSC) Marine Science Program has been active in marine debris collection and data, specifically with nurdles, since 2019. A nurdle is a microplastic that serves as the raw material for all other plastics. As students in the SSC Marine Science program, we have witnessed first hand the inordinate number of nurdles that end up on the beach, right in front of our school. At least once a month all classes in the SSC Marine Science Program conduct a ten minute nurdle survey. Nurdles collected are counted, and stored in a sealed jar in the classroom. The nurdle data is submitted to NurdlePatrol.org in an effort to track nurdle distributions in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world. Since 2019, students in the SSC Marine Science Program have collected 55,797 nurdles. We believe that our high concentrations of nurdles are a result of nurdles escaping from train cars as they cross the train bridge over the Bay, in addition to other point and non-point sources of pollution such as runoff through our storm drains, and any spillages that may occur in the open ocean. We know that nurdles float, and can be easily mistaken as food sources, specifically fish eggs, by our local wildlife. Additionally, plastics are known to act as environmental sponges, absorbing chemical pollutants. Since animals can not digest the plastics, the environmental toxins can bioaccumulate in their tissues. Thus, bioaccumulation becomes an issue for humans who consume these animals. 

Restoring marsh habitats is really valuable for protecting our coastlines and supporting wildlife, and it often involves growing key plants like Juncus roemerianus (Black Needlerush) and Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass). These species are crucial for stabilizing shorelines, enhancing water quality, supporting diverse wildlife, and making ecosystems more resilient.
This ongoing study evaluates the efficacy of a tiered nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system in promoting the growth and coverage of these species for ecological restoration purposes. Growth metrics, including cluster width, height, and percent cover are being collected as data to judge the system's performance. The NFT system utilizes a recirculating design that allows nutrient-enriched water, supplemented with fish waste as a natural fertilizer, to flow through multiple tiers, supporting plant development at each layer.
Results indicate that plants grown in the tiered NFT system demonstrate enhanced growth rates and larger cluster widths compared to those in traditional hydroponic systems. Specifically, the tiered design promotes more uniform nutrient uptake, improved root development, and increased overall plant health. On average, the plants grew about 4 centimeters in height every week over a month. These findings suggest that tiered NFT hydroponic systems could offer an effective method for producing marsh grasses for restoration projects, potentially contributing to the success of large-scale habitat restoration efforts. 
Advanced systems like this one have lots of benefits, such as reducing mosquito larvae, limiting algae growth, and better temperature control. However, they come with higher initial costs and potential maintenance challenges. Achieving optimal results in habitat restoration requires carefully balancing these factors while effectively managing both costs and maintenance. Overall, tiered NFT hydroponic systems show strong potential for efficiently cultivating marsh grasses and enhancing habitat restoration projects.

Restoration of coastal dunes following tropical storms often requires renourishment of sand substrate dredged from offshore sources. However, dredging has well-described negative ecological impacts and high economic costs. Rather than sourcing sand from offshore dredging, recycled glass sand (cullet) may provide an alternative source of substrate for the restoration of sandy beaches. However, glass sand substrate may not support plant growth due to a lack of nutrients and native microbial communities, which may inhibit plant survival to abiotic stressors, like drought or salinity. To test if glass sand substrates can support early colonizing dune species Heterotheca subaxillaris, we planted seedlings within glass sand or beach sand crossed with a native dune microbial addition. To understand how drought and salinity stress impact Heterotheca growth and survival, we crossed our substrate treatments with drought (watered once per week), 5ppm salinity addition (twice per week), and well watered (control - water twice per week). We measured seedlings every two weeks to observe growth and survival. At the end of the experiment, we harvested and measured aboveground and belowground biomass. 
Overall, we found minimal differences in biweekly growth of the seedlings across soil substrate or microbial addition. However, salinity addition greatly reduced plant survival relative to control and drought treatments. Our results suggest that glass sand may be a viable alternative to offshore sand substrate, however further experimentation is needed to understand growth and survival in field conditions. 

Restoration of coastal dune ecosystems following tropical storms or erosion events often requires the addition of dredged substrate from offshore to replenish lost beach sand. Because of the high economic costs and negative ecological impact of dredging offshore sand, there has been a search for alternative substrate sources. Substrate made from recycled glass bottles has been proposed as an alternative, however the efficacy for coastal plants and organisms has received limited research attention. To improve stability of substrate, xanthum gum polysaccharide is often used to bind substrates, while also providing a carbon source to establish microbial communities. Our project seeks to understand if xanthum gum addition into glass sand substrate improves survival and growth of transplanted Uniola paniculata (seaoats). To test this question, we established thirty 7-gallon plastic pots that were filled with glass sand substrate or glass sand substrate with xanthum gum. Three sea oat plugs were placed in each pot and were individually labeled. We measured leaf number and tallest blade of each plant weekly, over the duration of our experiment and watered plants every three days. Our preliminary data suggest that sea oats in the xanthan gum have higher growth rates compared to the control group. While these results are preliminary, they do suggest that xanthan gum addition can positively affect the growth of sea oats, likely through improved retention of water and improved microbial activity . 

Coastal regions are increasingly implementing living shorelines and other nature-based solutions for habitat restoration and shoreline erosion control. For example, significant investments have been made in living shoreline restoration projects along the Gulf coast in recent years. While some aspects of these projects have been monitored for several years, comprehensive and consistent assessments of restoration success across multiple projects are lacking. These data are needed to better understand the performance of varying project designs under different environmental conditions – especially with respect to hydrodynamic processes, sediment transport, health and persistence of native flora and fauna, and associated ecosystem services. To begin to address this gap, researchers from the University of South Alabama (USA), Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), and Alabama Department of Conservation of Natural Resources have collaborated to establish a comprehensive monitoring program of nine large-scale living shorelines restoration projects in Alabama. As part of this program, USA researchers deployed instrument arrays consisting of wave gauges, acoustic doppler current profilers, and a novel instrument using near infrared optical backscatter detectors(Sedimeters) at shore- and water-ward locations at project (reef) sites and paired control sites. The present study uses data from these instruments to assess the impacts of reef designs on wave energy attenuation and subsequent sediment resuspension during storm and typical conditions. Data analyzed originates from Saltaire, a site which has been monitored continuously beginning May 2023. Preliminary analyses suggest significant differences in sediment resuspension between shore- and water-ward reef locations. As such, higher turbidity and sediment resuspension values are predicted waterward of reefs – factors which will be explored further in the future. Synthesis of the present study and the larger comprehensive monitoring program are ongoing but have the potential to substantially improve our understanding of basic coastal processes and stewardship of valuable coastal habitats. 

Breakwaters are often constructed as part of living shoreline restorations to attenuate wave energy and reduce erosion. The reduction of wave energy should also lead to increased sedimentation in the waters sheltered by the breakwaters, in turn impacting benthic infauna, a diverse community of invertebrates that live in a variety of different sediment types. Infauna play vital roles in sediment biogeochemistry and serve as important links in aquatic food webs. Infauna communities fulfill many trophic functional roles, including filter feeders, deposit feeders, and predators, and often the functional role of an individual is more important to an ecosystem function than its taxonomic identity. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how the construction of breakwaters in living shorelines projects may impact the functional group composition of infaunal communities to better understand an estuary's well-being. This study investigates the impact of breakwaters on the functional group composition of infauna by comparing infaunal communities along transects from offshore of breakwaters to the marsh edge versus transects at adjacent unrestored control sites that lack breakwaters. The transect gradient was chosen to examine how infauna are affected at different distances from the living shoreline breakwaters. We collected sediment cores along each transect and once the core was sieved, we identified all organisms greater than 2 mm to assigned family level. We then classified each family into functional groups based on feeding guilds. As a result, we will better understand the effects of building breakwaters by determining infaunal trophic functional groups that each play a crucial role in predicting the ecological consequences of coastal engineering and for managing the impacts on marine infauna diversity.

Shoreline erosion is a major issue affecting coastal communities and ecosystems. To combat this issue, living shorelines are increasingly being implemented in favor of traditional shoreline armoring like seawalls, because unlike hardened shores, living shorelines can both stabilize shorelines and restore or enhance ecosystem function. Many living shorelines include offshore breakwaters to reduce wave activity, encourage sediment accretion, and promote the re-establishment of wetland vegetation. Changes to sediment properties inshore of breakwaters may also have cascading effects on the benthic infaunal community. This diverse community of invertebrates lives in the sediments and plays important roles in sediment biogeochemistry, and forms critical links in food chains supporting higher trophic levels including fisheries species.


To investigate the potential effects of shoreline restoration on sediment characteristics and infaunal communities, sediment and infauna cores were taken in proximity to breakwaters at Alabama living shorelines and adjacent control sites without breakwaters. The cores were used to quantify sediment grain sizes and infauna community composition and abundance. Findings will identify how breakwaters influence sediment properties and infaunal communities, and provide insight into how shoreline restoration efforts may alter coastal ecosystems.

Breakwaters are often installed to prevent or reduce shoreline and marsh retreat. Despite their widespread application, few studies have quantified their efficacy at decreasing marsh retreat and even fewer studies have considered their long-term viability. To evaluate the ability of breakwaters to decrease marsh retreat, Spartina alterniflora patches were monitored from 2017 – 2024 on a shoreline containing two breakwater complexes, constructed four years apart, and along unprotected control sites. We expected breakwaters would decrease marsh edge retreat of S. alterniflora relative to control sites and increase patch area and the total area of S. alterniflora. Overall, we found that both breakwater complexes decreased S. alterniflora upland retreat relative to control sites. Mean S. alterniflora patch area and total S. alterniflora area did not differ between the two breakwater and the control sites, although the total area increased across all sites. These results demonstrate breakwaters can be effective at decreasing marsh retreat. However, marsh edge retreat still occurred in contrast to a previous study at this location, which found S. alterniflora seaward expansion behind the breakwaters. These results indicate that marsh retreat-expansion dynamics may change over time, demonstrating the need for regular, long-term monitoring to evaluate efficacy of breakwaters and the importance of collecting data on additional environmental variables, which may provide a mechanistic understanding for marsh expansion-retreat dynamics.

Coastal communities along the Gulf of Mexico are increasingly threatened by environmental stressors, including pollution from chemical spills and heavy metal contamination. These contaminants pose significant risks to both ecosystems and human health, making the need for effective remediation strategies critical. Phytoremediation, which uses plants to absorb, sequester, and detoxify pollutants, offers a natural and sustainable approach to addressing these environmental challenges. Among potential phytoremediators, Nerium oleander, a widely distributed ornamental plant in the region, have shown promise on remediation of heavy metals. Understanding the interaction between Nerium oleander and its root-associated microbiome is crucial for optimizing its use in phytoremediation. By fostering beneficial relationships with specific microbial taxa, Nerium oleander could potentially increase its phytoremediation efficiency in contaminated soils. Therefore this study investigates the root-associated microbiome of Nerium oleander using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing to characterize microbial diversity and composition. We sampled soils from sites across Mississippi, comparing the microbiome in the rhizosphere of Nerium oleander to that in adjacent, unplanted soils. Preliminary analyses reveal distinct microbial communities in the rhizosphere, with specific taxa enriched in the presence of Nerium oleander, including groups known for their roles in metal detoxification and plant stress resistance. Our findings suggest that the root microbiome may be an important factor in the plant's capacity to remediate heavy metals, potentially enhancing its phytoremediation effectiveness in polluted environments. These results provide a foundation for further exploration of how microbiome manipulation and optimization could improve Nerium oleander's resilience to environmental stressors in costal communities. 

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are fungal symbionts that colonize the roots of plants and aid in withstanding biotic and abiotic stress. For instance, DSE may assist coastal salt marsh grasses in salinity tolerance, gaining access to nitrogen and phosphorus, and resisting pathogens. Additionally, coastal salt marshes in the northern Gulf coast face simultaneous impacts of sea-level rise, increasing salinity, and disturbance from increasing tropical storms and urban development. Following disturbance events, restoration of coastal marsh grasses is critical to restoring marsh habitat and reestablishing associated ecosystem services. Still, coastal restoration is hindered by the continuing impacts of climate change, leaving restored sites more susceptible to future disturbance events. DSE may provide a critical addition to marsh restoration by creating more resilient and resistant coastal ecosystems. However, they have yet to be explored as a viable component within restoration. Our project seeks to isolate and identify potential DSE strains from Spartina alterniflora across the Northern Gulf Coast. DSE isolates will be collected across a salinity gradient from Coastal Alabama to South Texas. Next, we will inoculate individual strains on Spartina seedlings to test for growth benefits and the survival of abiotic stressors and potential pathogens. We predict that strains collected from higher salinity sites will confer higher salinity and pathogen tolerance within S. alterniflora seedlings when exposed to high salinity conditions and challenges with pathogens. We aim to develop DSE isolates that can be integrated within coastal restoration projects that can be matched to projected climatic conditions.

The increasing contamination of soil by heavy metals poses a serious threat to ecosystems and human health. Phytoremediation is one of the natural promising techniques that utilize plants to remediate pollutants and tolerance to environmental stresses. This research evaluates the ability of *Pennisetum purpureum*, commonly known as elephant grass to grow in contaminated soils, its potential to enhance soil quality, and the environmental stresses in different areas over time. *P. purpureum* is selected for its high biomass, rapid growth, and resilience in diverse environmental conditions, making it a suitable candidate. Initial observation may indicate that *P. purpureum* can tolerate and accumulate significant concentrations of heavy metals, and adapt against different environmental stressors, such as drought and salinity. We may conclude that the elephant grass will be the future Bioenergy plant to remediate the soil and preserve the ecosystem.